Helps coach sport at Northside

Dave Pelsang, left, sits next to fellow Northside High School wrestling assistant Juan Ramos during a match last season. Pelsang was named the Southeast “kids and cadets person of the year” for USA Wrestling this past weekend in Atlanta.

Rick Scoppe/The Daily News

By Rick Scoppe-Sports editor

Published: Thursday, May 30, 2013 at 10:00 AM.

Dave Pelsang had an eventful weekend in Atlanta — to say the least.

As the director of officials for N.C. USA Wrestling, he brought a record 20 referees from North Carolina to help oversee the Southeast Regional championships involving 1,800 wrestlers on 18 mats at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Busy? You bet.

Not too busy, however, to accept a prestigious award from his colleagues this past weekend.

Pelsang, who has served as an assistant wrestling coach at Northside High School the past two years while also helping run the Onslow County Wrestling Club, was named the Southeast “kids and cadets person of the year” for USA Wrestling.

Kids and cadets range from pre-kindergarten to 15 years old.

“I was very humbled,” the 47-year-old Pelsang said. “I was pretty embarrassed.”

As the director of officials for N.C. USA Wrestling, he brought a record 20 referees from North Carolina to help oversee the Southeast Regional championships involving 1,800 wrestlers on 18 mats at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Busy? You bet.

Not too busy, however, to accept a prestigious award from his colleagues this past weekend.

Pelsang, who has served as an assistant wrestling coach at Northside High School the past two years while also helping run the Onslow County Wrestling Club, was named the Southeast “kids and cadets person of the year” for USA Wrestling.

Kids and cadets range from pre-kindergarten to 15 years old.

“I was very humbled,” the 47-year-old Pelsang said. “I was pretty embarrassed.”

It was the first time an official/referee from the nine-state region has earned the award, which Ed Duncan, the director of USA Wrestling in North Carolina, said was “a service award.” Duncan noted Pelsang was in charge of training and scheduling officials in the state along with his work at Northside and the county wrestling club.

“He’s done a variety of things,” Duncan said. “But North Carolina is widely recognized not only in the southeast but across the country as having an outstanding officials organization, and our state had more officials at the Southeast Regional than any other, and a big part of that was thanks to Dave’s leadership.

“It’s a very nice award. … Dave is very well deserving, and I’m glad he that he was able to get it.”

To say Pelsang was surprised would be an understatement.

After finishing up with the officials, Pelsang slipped into a meeting where Duncan and others were discussing candidates for the award.

“I was like, ‘Wow, these are some great people,’” Pelsang said.

And then Duncan started to talk about “a guy from North Carolina,” which left Pelsang wondering to whom he was referring. “Then he read my name off,” Pelsang said. “I was actually eating, which I like to do. I said I’ve got to leave the room.

“I just felt weird, and I got a little emotional.”

For many reasons, Pelsang said. He said he’s “not a Dan Gable” and insisted he doesn’t have the coaching credentials of some of the state’s top coaches. Nor, he added, was he a champion in college. In fact, he doesn’t have a college degree.

“When they said at the officials meeting that I was the first official to ever get this award, the first referee to get it, I’m like, ‘Wow, I’m shocked.’ I’m not trying to be falsely modest. I had no idea,” he said.

“The folks that I’ve heard that got this in the past have tremendous credentials and have done astronomical things. For 12 years I’ve got to do something I love. I was kind of embarrassed. But I consider myself blessed. I think I’ll keep coaching until they stop letting me.”

Another reason Pelsang said he got emotional was that he couldn’t help but think about 9-year-old Ean Hughes of Marion, who was diagnosed with leukemia around midnight on Mother’s Day, just a few hours after bumping his head while competing in the USA Wrestling state championships in Morganton that Pelsang helped oversee.

Initially, Pelsang said it appeared Hughes had a concussion. Later, he talked with Hughes’ mother, Melissa, who said he was fine. But later that night she called back. Pelsang headed to the emergency room of a local hospital, where around midnight Hughes’ mother was informed her son had leukemia.

“I’m thinking (as he’s heard his name brought up for the award), here’s Ean, who’s fighting for his life,” Pelsang said. “I’m just blowing a whistle and officiating kids. Goodness gracious, I feel blessed that they let me do this.”

The outpouring of support from wrestlers “reaffirmed” for Pelsang why he loves the sport so much beyond just what happens on the mat. And for the former Marine, the outpouring from his fellow Leathernecks in support of the youngster also touched his heart.

“He (Ean) told me he always wanted to be a Marine and a (wrestling) official one day,” said Pelsang, who has been driving to Asheville periodically to see Ean. “So I said, ‘Well, sign here and put your hand in the air.’ So I swore him in as an official.”

Meanwhile, Pelsang told some of his Marine buddies about Hughes, and New River Marine Squadrons VMMT-204 and VMI-261 donated money for an iPad and other funds to help defray expenses.

Also, they made Hughes a flight suit, complete with patches and his call sign, “Shrimp.”

“Between the Marine Corps and the wrestling organization, it just touches my heart to be able to say I was part of this group at a small level,” said Pelsang, adding that a group page has been set up on Facebook (fight like Ean pin leukemia) that tells the youngster’s story and updates his progress. “I can’t explain. This kid just touched my heart.

“I reached out to the wrestlers. There’s wrestlers from around the nation that are praying and pulling for this kid (and donating money and various wrestling memorabilia). It just reaffirmed for me what I love about this sport. I’m just humbled that I’m allowed to coach these kids and to officiate. It’s just a blessing.”